Psychology 1000 Study Guide - Abraham Maslow, Visual Cortex, Substance Abuse

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Dr.Mike

Document Summary

Motivation: a process that influences the direction, persistence, and vigor of goal-directed behaviour. (a fixed action pattern) is an inherited characteristic, common to all members of a species, that automatically produces a particular response when the organism is exposed to a particular stimulus; instincts motivate much of our behaviour. Human instinct theories faded because there was no evidence to support it. Scientists examine hereditary contribution to human motivation; using twin and adoption studies scientists seek to find how strongly heredity accounts for differences among people in different aspects of motivated behaviour. Modern evolutionary psychologists believe that many motives have evolutionary meanings and are then expressed as genes (the motivated behaviours have adaptive significance) Ex. being social creatures was selected for since it helped to create alliances which increased the expression of social behaviour in the gene pool and now we are predisposed to be social rather than reclusive (internal factors)